The Toronto Maple Leafs surprised many by making the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. They have also impressed many more with their efforts against Boston in the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series that now stands at 3-2 in favour of the Bruins, after Torontos 2-1 victory in Game 5 on Friday. One of those who has been impressed is Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky spoke with TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com on Saturday and offered his thoughts on the Maple Leafs, the team he watched growing up in Brantford, Ontario. "Theyre up against a really good opponent, a team thats just two years removed from winning the Cup, but any time you can win a Game 5 in that situation against a team of that caliber, obviously youve got character and it builds even more character," Gretzky told LeBrun. "Theyre legit. Theyre playing on high-emotion right now." Gretzky was quick to point out that much of the credit for the Leafs play of late should go to head coach Randy Carlyle and his system. "Its about believing in your system. The system starts with the head coach," added Gretzky. "Hes got tremendous credibility after winning a Stanley Cup himself [2007 in Anaheim]. Its not a question of players saying, Are we sure he knows what hes doing? Because theyre absolutely positive he knows what hes doing. The credibility starts right there with the coach." Gretzky also singled out goaltender James Reimer for his play throughout the season and into the post-season. "There was so much talk throughout the hockey world wondering if their goaltending was strong enough to get through the season and get into the playoffs," Gretzky told LeBrun. "I think their goaltender has answered that question extremely well." Win or lose, Gretzky feels this series will go a long way to improving the long-term outlook of the Leafs, a team that had not made the playoffs in nine years before this season. "You know, theyre still young and theyre still learning," said Gretzky. "This is how you learn, by getting a chance to play in big games like this. Game 5 in Boston was probably one of the biggest games those kids have played in for a long time. From that point of view, its just going to help their maturity and their growth a lot quicker. The Maple Leafs host the Bruins in Game 6 on Sunday night. Should they win to force a seventh game, it would be played back in Boston on Monday night. Elvis Andrus Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Adrian Beltre Jersey . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. 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Newcastle prop Taione Vea has been forced to retire from rugby due to a spinal injury.The 27-year-old Tonga international was hurt during Newcastles Aviva Premiership opener against Sale Sharks in September.Announcing the news on Newcastles official website, Vea said: I took a bad knock in the game against Sale and spent a few nights in hospital, and when I had my scan results unfortunately things didnt come back too well.I had quite a bit of swelling in the spinal cord, around some really important areas of the neck, and it is just one of those things.I was left paralysed for five or six minutes on the field, where I couldnt feel my whole body.That is enough for anybody in a lifetime and the risk of that happening again if I was to return to playing is quite high. It is obviously not the way I wanted to goo.ddddddddddddAt the age I am and the way I felt I was playing, I was planning on a fair few more years. But having spoken to medical professionals and specialists, I have had to just accept the fact there is more to life than playing the game I love.Newcastle rugby director Dean Richards paid tribute to Vea, who joined the Falcons from London Welsh last year.Tai is an enormocd and it is devastating to hear the news that he will not be able to carry on playing, Richards said. He has remained strong throughout what is obviously a very difficult period and he will continue to receive the full support of everybody associated with the club. Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Stitched Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '